Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate to visit Kurdistan Region soon

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) representative in Baghdad announced on Saturday that Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi will visit the Kurdistan Region soon.

Faris Isa, the KRG’s representative in Baghdad, said Allawi had already begun talks with the political factions in Iraq and is planning to visit the autonomous Kurdish region in the next two weeks to discuss the formation of a new federal government.

In his statement, Isa mentioned that the new prime minister would initiate talks with Shias, Sunnis, protesters, and the Kurds to support him in forming a new government.

Senior officials in the Kurdistan Region have previously extended their preparedness to support any Iraqi federal government as long as it fully implements the constitution and respects the recent agreements that Erbil and Baghdad decided upon.  

Last week, Iraqi President Barham Salih designated Allawi, who previously served as Iraq’s minister of communication, to be an interim leader of the government.

Allawi will be responsible to form a cabinet within a month ahead of early legislative elections, which protesters hope will put an end to the seemingly impenetrable ruling class that has dominated Iraqi politics since the fall of the former regime in 2003.

Over 600 people have died, and thousands more injured as ongoing anti-government protests across parts of central and southern Iraq broke out in October 2019.

Protesters call for an end to the public’s economic woes and a complete governmental overhaul amid shortages of public services, high rates of unemployment, and chronic institutional corruption.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany